Decorative items, namely jewelry, and its various constructions are well known in the art. Design, choice of materials and jewelry configuration have evolved primarily in response to technological advancements in relevant areas. In the past eleven years, significant advancement, such as laser technology, has occurred in the industry. Specifically, laser technology has added further aesthetic appeal by providing a variety of patterns on a substrate or in a layer that coats a substrate to evaporate to the required depth from selected regions and not from others. Examples of such devices and methods using this approach are found in the following U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,588,439; 3,832,948; 4,081,653; 4,156,124; 4,481,169; and 5,235,154. However, the use of such laser rays cause holes and burn marks on the substrate detracting from the aesthetic appeal of the engraved pattern itself.
Another advancement by the jewelry industry was the incorporation of images into its devices. An example of a device incorporating an image is depicted in U.S. Pat. No. 5,799,511 issued to Benderly on Sep. 1, 1998. The '511 patent is an article of jewelry having an annular support element and a disc-shaped sandwich mounted on the annular support element by being partially received in its groove. The sandwich includes a transparent protective element, a precious metal substrate carrying an image, namely a laser engraved image, and a bonding agent between the substrate and the element for improving the clarity of the image visible through the element. However, the '511 patent does not teach nor claim a process of uncovering the image through electromechanical, electromagnetic or proximate methods.
Another example of a jewelry article with integrated images is shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,238,084 issued to Blotky et al. on May 29, 2001. The '084 patent claims a wristwatch having a time indicator disposed within a case; an electronic display attached to the case arranged for visibility when worn by a user; a controller disposed in the case and adapted to generate signals for the electronic display; and a bezel containing a removable memory. However, the '084 patent fails to incorporate a jewelry device being in communication with a companion device.
Similar to the '084 patent, International Patent 00/59327 claims a bracelet having an annular body with an outer surface. The outer surface includes a display area defined by an active display element for selectively displaying images. The display can be formed by a display layer made of a light emitting polymer or interconnected links formed with LCD elements. Further, a display control circuit is disposed within the annular body and generates signals defining the images for the display element. Nevertheless, the '59357 patent does not provide for a method of revealing an image through electromechanical, electromagnetic or proximate processes.
In view of the above described deficiencies associated with the use of conventionally designed jewelry, the present invention has been developed to alleviate these drawbacks and provide further benefits to a user. These enhancements and benefits are described in greater detail herein below with respect to several alternative embodiments of the present invention.